Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rachel said 8:05AM on 3-28-2008
this is whack. i don't believe it.
Reply
Information said 4:35PM on 3-21-2008
The 22 year old Chinese welder did not die from an exploding cell phone battery. He was accidently killed by a fellow colleague. Please research your information before alarming the public.
Reply
surfnbvolc said 5:52PM on 3-21-2008
Information, I'm more inclined to believe an AOL article over your unidentified comment. You made a statement and did not provide sources... At least AOL provided that. And another thing how do you know that the story you read was not false? You had to be, "that guy" didn't you?
Reply
alpha2beta2omega said 9:40AM on 3-22-2008
surfnbvolc,
Information wasn't "that guy". The reason I know that is that he has the Chinese welder mixed up with the South Korean quarryman.
This is part of the AP story and note that it is not about a Chinese man who actually did die from injuries caused by the explosion of the battery to his Motorola phone. The phone that was in question with the South Korean man was made by LG:
-------- Story snippet-----
As it turns out, there was more to that story yesterday about the South Korean man getting killed by an exploding cell phone battery. Rather, it had something to do with a co-worker operating an excavator next to him. It seems the co-worker lied about the accident for fear of the trouble that would no doubt follow.
It is good to know that it was not the cell phone, and I am sure LG is very, very relieved. Fifteen days to wait until the official cause of death, but it sounds like the poor guy was run over. How that phone caught fire is the next piece of the puzzle.
--------End----------
Regarding the Chinese man, who was a welder, he did die. The battery exploded in his shirt pocket, drove into his ribs, pushing one into his heart. He worked in an area that was warmer than what most people work in and it is believed that might have let to its overheating although clearly the if the ambient temperature is still tolerable by humans, it shouldn't cause devices to explode.
Information, I suggest you follow your own advice to AOL and maybe the next time you will realize that you were mixing up two different stories. Regarding, alarming the public, given that the man reported to have died from the explosion actually did and the one who you said was killed by his co=worker was someone else, the story speaks for itself. Ion-lithium batteries are unstable and the more electronics that get packed into increasing;y smaller spaces with no active cooling mechanisms means more heat and heat is a catalyst for violent chemical reactions...like explosions.
Reply
d brown said 3:53AM on 3-26-2008
the fact is that new high-teck is sold when its know there are things wrong with them. almost all of them! the makers are working on the new ones, not the ones that have been rushed to the stores. they know there are things wrong but being the first on the market is more important. and when it goes bad try and get them fixed. the warranties are shorter now.
Reply
Ron said 9:29AM on 3-31-2008
I wish EVERY CELL PHONE WOULD EXPLODE !!!! The world got along just FINE without them. I HATE listening to people yakking. They also talk WAY louder on phones than in person. IGNORANT. Then, if you happen to look at them, they give you a look back like you are a total jerk. Why can't people talk quietly? The WORST is the WALKIE TALKIE types that go "BLEEP BLEEP" EVERY TIME you release the talk button AND you hear BOTH sides of the conversation. Phone calls should be PRIVATE, thats why phone BOOTHS were invented long ago, for privacy. NOBODY wants to hear your conversations. Have some CLASS
Reply
Kyllein MacKellerann said 12:47AM on 7-24-2008
Lithium + water + air = fire! Lithium batteries are sealed to prevent this, especially when they're either charged or are charging. If they catch fire, there is a fault with the battery (frequently caused by repeated charge cycles when the thing is already fully charged).
Reply
Madduck2020 said 11:08AM on 1-26-2009
Testing a one and a two and a......
Reply
Opinion8 said 12:39PM on 5-12-2009
There is always a welder dying from something exploding in his pocket...
For 30 years, he kept dying because of a Bic lighter that he accidentally ignited in his shirt pocket with orange-hot slag from his welding.
The claim about a person dying from an exploding cell phone might have begged a little more investigation, had that person not been said to be a welder.
Reply